Panel vibration type display device for generating sound

ABSTRACT

The present embodiments relates to a display panel configured to display images, a plurality of sound generating actuators in a plurality of sound output areas, the sound generating actuators configured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound, and a partition that is between each of the plurality of sound output areas and surrounds at least one of the plurality of sound output areas.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of Korean Application No.10-2016-0037118, filed Mar. 28, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0040885, filed Apr. 4, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0041384, filed Apr. 5, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0066455, filed May 30, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0067431, filed May 31, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0083122, filed Jun. 30, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0161789, filed Nov. 30, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2016-0162189, filed Nov. 30, 2016, and Korean Application No.10-2016-0183867, filed Dec. 30, 2016, all of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a display device, and moreparticularly, to a display device for generating a sound by vibrating adisplay panel.

Description of the Related Art

With the development of various portable electronic devices, such as amobile communication terminal and a notebook computer, requirements fordisplay devices applicable thereto are increasing.

The display devices include a liquid crystal display device, anelectroluminescent display device, a light emitting diode displaydevice, and an organic light emitting diode display device.

Among these display devices, the liquid crystal display (LCD) devicetypically includes an array substrate including an array of thin filmtransistors, an upper substrate including a color filter layer and/or ablack matrix, etc., and a liquid crystal material layer formedtherebetween, wherein an alignment state of the liquid crystal iscontrolled according to an electric field applied between two electrodesof a pixel area, and thereby the transmittance of light is adjusted todisplay images.

In addition, an organic light emitting display device, which uses anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) that emits light by itself, hasadvantages of a fast response speed, a high light-emitting efficiency, ahigh brightness, and a wide viewing angle.

Meanwhile, a set apparatus or finished product including such a displaydevice as described above may include, for example, a television (TV), acomputer monitor, or an advertising panel.

Such a display device or set apparatus includes a sound output device,such as a speaker, for generating and outputting sound relating tooutput images.

It is typical that a company which manufactures a display device, suchas a liquid crystal display device or an organic light emitting diodedisplay device, manufactures only a display panel or display device,while another company manufactures a speaker and assembles the speakerwith the manufactured display device, to complete a set apparatuscapable of outputting images and sound.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a speaker included in a related artdisplay device. As shown in FIG. 1, the related art display device 1includes a speaker 2 disposed at a rear part or a lower part of adisplay panel thereof.

In this structure, the sound generated by the speaker 2 may not directlyprogress toward a viewer, who is viewing an image from the front side ofthe display device 1, but progresses toward the rear part or the lowerpart of the display panel rather than the front part of the displaypanel on which the images are being displayed.

Further, when the sound generated from the speaker 2 progresses towardthe rear part or the lower part of the display panel, the sound qualitymay be degraded due to an interference with sound reflected by walls,floors, or other surfaces at the rear of or below the display panel.

Also, the sound generated by a speaker included in the related artdisplay device is not oriented toward a viewer of the display device andmay thus undergo diffraction, which degrades the sound localization.Moreover, in configuring a set apparatus, such as a TV, a speaker mayoccupy an undesirably large amount of space, which imposes a restrictionon the design and spatial disposition of the set apparatus.

Meanwhile, in recent years, a technique has been proposed in which anactuator vibrates a display panel or a vibrating plate that is attachedto the display panel to then output a sound. However, such a soundoutput technique is limited to the operation in which only a single typeof sound is output by vibrating the entire display panel.

Therefore, there has been an increasing requirement for technology thatoutput various types of sounds at the same time, improves the quality ofthe output sound, and prevents hindering the viewer's concentration.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to adisplay device that substantially obviates one or more of the problemsdue to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a display device thatgenerates a sound by directly vibrating a display panel that constitutesthe display device.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a panel vibrationtype of sound generating display device that suppresses the soundpressure reduction caused by a standing wave that is generated by theinterference between a reflection wave and a traveling wave.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a panel vibrationtype of sound generating display device that selects, as a plurality ofsound output areas, one of either a 2-channel system that includes leftand right areas for outputting a left and right stereo sound or a2.1-channel system that further includes a central area for outputting alow-pitched sound in addition to the same, which reduces the soundpressure reduction caused by a standing wave while providing anexcellent sound separation characteristic.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. Theobjectives and other advantages of the disclosure will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other aspects of the inventive concepts as embodiedand broadly described, a display device may comprise a display panelconfigured to display images; a plurality of sound generating actuatorsin a plurality of sound output areas, the sound generating actuatorsconfigured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound; and apartition that is between each of the plurality of sound output areasand surrounds at least one of the plurality of sound output areas.

Furthermore, a display device may comprise a display panel configured todisplay images; a plurality of areas behind the display panel andseparated by a partition; and a plurality of sound generating actuatorsin the plurality of areas, the sound generating actuators configured tovibrate the display panel to generate sound, wherein at least one of theareas includes two or more of the sound generating actuators.

Furthermore, a display device may comprise a display panel configured todisplay images; a plurality of areas behind the display panel andseparated by a partition; and a first sound generating actuator in afirst of the plurality of areas, the first sound generating actuatorconfigured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound, wherein asecond of the plurality of areas does not include a sound generatingactuator.

Furthermore, an apparatus may comprise a display panel configured todisplay images; a plurality of areas behind the display panel andseparated by a partition; and a first sound generating actuator in afirst of the plurality of areas, the first sound generating actuatorconfigured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound, wherein asecond of the plurality of areas does not include a sound generatingactuator.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure andtogether with the description serve to explain the various principles.In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of speakers that are included in a related artdisplay device;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a display device including a panel vibrationtype of sound generating device, according to an example embodiment ofthe present disclosure, where FIG. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is across-sectional view;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate views for explaining the sound pressurereduction caused by a standing wave in the example where the soundseparating partition portion is formed in a straight line form;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate views for explaining the sound outputcharacteristics in the example where a bent portion is formed in one ormore sides that constitute the sound separating partition portion,according to examples of the present embodiments;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate cross-sectional views of two types of soundgenerating actuators that can be used in examples of the presentembodiment;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the principles in which a sound generatingactuator vibrates a display panel to generate a sound, according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example of the connecting state between asound generating actuator and a cover bottom that is a back supportportion of the display device, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate other examples of a connecting structurebetween the sound generating actuator and the cover bottom;

FIG. 9 illustrates a detailed structure of a sound separating partitionportion that is used in an example of the present embodiment;

FIGS. 10 and 11A-11C illustrate views that variously show the form ofeach area and the disposition of bent portions and additional confiningportions according to the position and form of the sound generatingactuator in the 2-channel system in which the sound output areas includethe left and right areas;

FIG. 12 illustrates a relationship between an inclination angle of thefirst side of the sound separating partition portion including a bentportion and the position and length of an additional confining member,according to an example of the present embodiment; and

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate views that variously show the form of eacharea and the disposition of bent portions and additional confiningportions according to the position and form of the sound generatingactuator in the 2.1-channel system in which the sound output areasinclude the left and right areas for outputting a middle/high-pitchedsound in the left and right and the central area for outputting alow-pitched sound.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying illustrativedrawings. In designating elements of the drawings by reference numerals,the same elements will be designated by the same reference numeralsalthough they are shown in different drawings. Further, in the followingdescription of the present disclosure, a detailed explanation of certainfunctions and configurations incorporated herein may have been merelyfor the sake of brevity.

In addition, terms, such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) or the likemay be used herein when describing components of the present disclosure.Each of these terminologies is not used to define an essence, order orsequence of a corresponding component but used merely to distinguish thecorresponding component from other component(s). In the case that it isdescribed that a certain structural element “is connected to”, “iscoupled to”, or “is in contact with” another structural element, itshould be interpreted that another structural element may “be connectedto”, “be coupled to”, or “be in contact with” the structural elements aswell as that the certain structural element is directly connected to oris in direct contact with another structural element.

The term “display device” in the present specification is used toencompass a display device as a narrow meaning, such as a liquid crystalmodule (LCM) or an organic light emitting display module (OLED module),that includes a display panel and a driving unit for driving the displaypanel, and to further encompass set electronic device or a set device ora set apparatus, as a finished product, such as a laptop computer, atelevision set, a computer monitor, equipment display (e.g., displayequipment in an automotive display or other type of vehicle display), ora mobile electronic device that is a complete product or a final product(for example, a smartphone or an electronic pad, etc.) that includes theLCM, the OLED module, or the like.

That is, the display device is used as a meaning that encompasses adisplay device itself, such as the LCM or the OLED module, but alsoincludes a so-called “set device,” which is an application product orfinal consumer device having a display device implemented therein.

However, in some cases, the LCM or OLED module comprised of a displaypanel and a driving unit thereof may be referred to as a “displaydevice” in a narrow sense, and the electronic device as a finishedproduct including the LCM or OLED module may be differently referred toas a “set device” or a “set apparatus”. For example, the display devicein a narrow sense may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel or anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel and a source PCB as acontroller for driving the same, and the set device may further includea set PCB that is a controller set to be electrically connected to thesource PCB and to control the overall operations of the set device orthe set apparatus.

The display panel used in examples of the present embodiment may use allkinds of display panels, such as a liquid crystal display panel, anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel, a plasma displaypanel (PDP), or the like, and is not limited to a specific display paneltechnology as long as it can generate sound waves or audible outputs dueto vibrations created by the sound generating actuator.

For example, the liquid crystal display panel as the display panel maybe configured to include an array substrate that includes a plurality ofgate lines and data lines, pixels that are in or near the intersectionareas thereof, and thin film transistors acting as switching elementsfor controlling the light transmittance in each pixel, an uppersubstrate that is provided with a color filter layer and/or a blackmatrix, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the same.

Also, the organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel as thedisplay panel may include an array substrate that includes a pluralityof gate lines and data lines, pixels that are in or near theintersection areas thereof, and thin film transistors for selectivelyapplying voltage or current to each pixel, an organic light emittingdiode (OLED) layer on the array substrate, and an encapsulationsubstrate that is disposed on the array substrate to cover the organiclight emitting diode layer. The encapsulation substrate protects thethin film transistor and the organic light emitting diode layer fromexternal impact, and prevents the penetration of moisture/oxygen intothe organic light emitting diode layer. The layer on the array substratemay include an inorganic light emitting layer(s), for example, a quantumdot layer(s), nano-sized material layer(s), etc., that may enhanceoutput image quality.

With any display type, the display panel may further include a backing,such as a metal plate attached thereto. Other structures may also beincluded.

The display panel having actuators as described in the specification maybe implemented at a user interface module in a vehicle, such as at thecentral control panel area in an automobile. For example, such a displaypanel can be configured between two front seat occupants such thatsounds due to vibrations of the display panel propagate towards theinterior of the vehicle. As such, the audio experience within a vehiclecan be improved when compared to having speakers only at the interiorsides in the vehicle.

The display panel used in the display device according to examples ofthe described embodiments is not limited to a specific type, size,shape, etc. An LCD panel includes a number of laminated layers andincludes a separate light source, for e.g., a backlight.

On the other hand, because the organic light emitting diode of theorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel is a self-emittingelement, a separate light source may not be required, and a plurality oflayers, such as a polarization layer (POL), a glass layer, or anencapsulation layer, may be laminated into a single panel.

Meanwhile, the display panel used in the display device of an example ofthe present embodiment has a general structure such that detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a display device including the panelvibration type of sound generating device, according to an example ofthe present embodiment, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is across-sectional view of FIG. 2A taken along line I-I′.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the display device according to an exampleof the present embodiment is configured to include a display panel 100for displaying images, two or more sound generating actuators 200 and200′ that vibrate the display panel while being in contact with one sideof the display panel to generate a sound, and a cover bottom 300 that isa back support portion that covers the back surface of the display panelwhile supporting the sound generating actuators 200 and 200′ and thedisplay panel 100.

Meanwhile, according to an example of the present embodiment, aplurality of sound output areas are defined to output different sounds,respectively, within the display panel 100, and each of the soundgenerating actuators is disposed in each sound output area in order tothereby vibrate a display panel portion in the corresponding area togenerate a sound.

In this case, a sound separating partition portion 400 may be furtherincluded, which is disposed to surround each sound output area whilebeing in contact with the display panel 100 and the cover bottom 300 asthe back support portion to define an air gap space inside each soundoutput area.

Meanwhile, an example of the present embodiment may be applied to both a2-channel system that includes left and right areas for outputting aleft and right stereo sound, and a 2.1-channel system that furtherincludes a central area for outputting a low-pitched sound in additionto a plurality of sound output areas for left and right stereo sound. A2-channel system that includes only the left and right areas will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 2A.

That is, according to FIG. 2A, the sound output areas include a leftarea (L) and a right area (R) that are formed in the left side and rightside of the display panel 100, respectively, in order to output a stereosound, and the sound separating partition portion 400 for the left areaincludes four sides 410, 410′, 420, and 420′ that surround the left area(L).

Meanwhile, the sound separating partition portion 400 is a partitionwall structure that is interposed between the display panel 100 and thecover bottom 300 as the back support portion, and members, such as adouble-sided tape, may be used for the sound separating partitionportion 400.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the sound separating partition portion 400 is anadhesive member that has a constant width and is disposed to surroundthe corresponding sound output area, wherein one side of the adhesivemember is attached to the lower surface of the display panel 100 and theother side thereof is attached to the upper surface of the cover bottom300 to form a hermetic air gap space in the corresponding sound outputarea.

Meanwhile, the left actuator 200 may be disposed in the left area (L)and the right actuator 200′ may be disposed in the right area (R),wherein each actuator 200 and 200′ may be fixed while being insertedinto a support hole that is formed in the cover bottom 300 as the backsupport portion.

The left actuator 200 is in contact with the lower surface of thedisplay panel 100 corresponding to the left area and vibrates thedisplay panel 100 according to a supplied current signal to generate aleft sound. Likewise, the right actuator 200′ is in contact with thelower surface of the display panel 100 corresponding to the right areaand vibrates the display panel 100 of the right area to generate a rightsound.

An example of the form of the actuator and the principle in which theactuator vibrates the display panel to generate a sound will bedescribed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5A-6B below.

Meanwhile, the first air gap space 700 (AG_L) and the second air gapspace 700′ (AG_R) may be formed by means of the four sides of the soundseparating partition portion 400, the upper portion of the display panel100, and the lower portion of the cover bottom 300 in the left area (L)and right area (R), respectively.

The air gap spaces 700 and 700′ function as enclosed spaces to confine asound that is generated when the display panel 100 is vibrated by theleft/right actuators 200 and 200′, and the air gap spaces 700 and 700′increase the sound pressure to output the sound to the front.

Meanwhile, the sound separating partition portion 400 for each soundoutput area is comprised of four sides that surround the correspondingsound output area, and at least one (e.g., the first-side) of the foursides of the sound separating partition portion 400 may have a bentportion that is bent toward the sound generating actuator that isdisposed in the corresponding area.

That is, as shown by example in FIG. 2A, the bent portions 412 and 412′that are bent toward the left actuator 200 are formed in first-sides 410and 410′ that are disposed in the upper and lower portions among foursides 410, 410′ 420, and 420′ of the sound separating partition portion400 that surround the left area (L).

In other words, among the four sides that surround the left area (L),two upper and lower sides are configured with two straight partitionsthat extend inward to have a constant inclination angle with respect tothe horizontal direction, and two straight partitions join to form thebent portion 412.

It may not be necessary to form the bent portion only by the joining ofthe straight lines. For example, a rounded bent portion may be formed ina curved shape.

In addition, one or more protruding confining portions 422 that protrudetoward the left actuator 200 may be disposed in two second-sides 420 and420′ that are perpendicular to the first-sides. Although an examplewhere two protruding confining portions are disposed in each of thesecond-sides to be spaced apart from each other in the verticaldirection (when considered in a normal viewing orientation) is shown inFIG. 2, examples of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

In addition, the protruding confining portion 422 may be formed toprotrude in the horizontal direction from a specific position of thesecond-sides 420 and 420′ that extend in the vertical direction.

The bent portions 412 and 412′ and the protruding confining portions 422and 422′ are intended to overcome the reduction in the sound pressurecaused by a standing wave that is generated by the interference betweena traveling wave and a reflection wave that is reflected by the soundseparating partition portion among the sound waves that are generated bythe actuator, and the principles thereof will be described in moredetail with reference to FIGS. 3A-4B.

Meanwhile, although the description above has been made with referenceonly to the left area in FIG. 2, the right area of the display panel mayalso have symmetrically the same configuration.

For convenience, the lateral direction or horizontal direction inexample embodiments of the present specification refers to the long-sidedirection of the display device, and the longitudinal or verticaldirection refers to the short-side direction of the display device.

Meanwhile, an end point of the bent portions 412 and 412′ formed in thefirst-side 410 or 410′ of the sound separating partition portion 400 maybe directed to the center of the sound generating actuator 200 or 200′that is disposed in the corresponding sound output area.

The sound separating partition portion 400, according to an example ofthe present embodiment, is a confining member for preventing thetransfer of a sound generated in the corresponding sound output area toanother sound output area (e.g., the sound separating partition portion400 may serve as a baffle). The sound separating partition portion 400may be configured with a double-sided tape or a one-sided tape formed ofpolyurethane (PU) or polyolefin (PO) to have a specific height(thickness) and width, or from some other appropriate material, and mayhave the elasticity to be compressed to some extent. In some examples,the sound separating partition portion 400 may be formed of one piece ofmaterial, while in other examples, the sound separating partitionportion 400 may be formed of separate pieces of material.

The sound separating partition portion 400 may be represented by otherterms, such as a foam pad or a confining member.

Thus, when using the display device in the structure of FIGS. 2A and 2B,left and right stereo sound may be generated by supplying differentcurrents to the left actuator 200 and the right actuator 200′,respectively, and the left and right sounds may be separated by means ofthe sound separating partition portion in order to thereby output anexcellent stereo sound.

Hereinafter, the remaining elements of the display device, according toan example of the present embodiment, will be described in detail.

As will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5A-5B andthe like, the sound generating actuator 200 or 200′, according to anexample of the present embodiment, includes a magnet, a plate forsupporting the magnet, a center pole that is formed to protrude from thecentral area of the plate, and a bobbin that is disposed to surround thecenter pole and has a coil that is wound around the same to be appliedwith a sound generating current. The front end of the bobbin is disposedto come into contact with the one side of the display panel. However,such detailed structure is merely exemplary, as various other equivalentcomponents can be used to implement the actuators used for theembodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the display device may include a back supportportion for supporting at least one of the back surface or the lateralsurface of the display panel, and the plate of each actuator is fixed toits supporting structure.

The back support portion may include a cover bottom 300 that is disposedon the back surface of the display panel, and may further include amiddle cabinet 500 that surrounds the lateral surface of the displaypanel while being coupled with the cover bottom so as to receive andsupport the one side edge of the display panel.

The cover bottom that constitutes the back support portion may be a flatplate member that is formed of a metal or plastic material to extendthroughout the back surface of the display device.

That is, the display device according to an example of the presentembodiment may further include the cover bottom 300 as a back supportingstructure, and the cover bottom 300 may execute functions of supportingthe back side of the display panel 100 while being coupled to the middlecabinet 500 and fixing the actuator of an example of the presentembodiment.

In this case, the cover bottom 300 is not limited to a specific term,and may be referred to as other terms, such as a plate bottom, a backcover, a base frame, a metal frame, a metal chassis, a chassis base, anm-chassis, or the like. Furthermore, the cover bottom 300 shall beunderstood to encompass all types of frames or flat plate structuresthat are disposed at the bottom of the back side of the display deviceto support the display panel. However, the support structure may includeadditional parts, may include multiple parts, and need not cover anentire rear of the display device. Further, the sound generationactuator may be directly or indirectly secured to the support structure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate views for explaining the sound pressurereduction caused by a standing wave in the case where the soundseparating partition portion is formed in a straight line, and FIGS. 4Aand 4B illustrate views for explaining the sound output characteristicsin the case where a bent portion is formed in one or more sides thatconstitute the sound separating partition portion, according to anexample of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3A, each actuator 20 and 20′ vibrates the display panel10 to generate a sound wave that proceeds and radially spreads from thecenter of the actuator 20 and 20′, and such a sound wave is referred toas a traveling wave (A) herein for convenience.

In this case, when the traveling sound wave reaches one side of thesound separating partition portion 40, it is reflected by the soundseparating partition portion 40 to then form a reflection wave (A′) thatproceeds in the opposite direction.

Such a reflection wave overlaps and interferes with the traveling waveto form a so-called standing wave that refers to the overlapped soundwave that cannot proceed and that stagnates in a specific position. Thestanding wave causes a reduction in the sound pressure, and deterioratesthe sound output characteristics.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, a standing wave is generated by thetraveling wave (A) from the actuator and the reflection wave (A′) thatis reflected by one side of the sound separating partition portion 40,and according thereto, the sound pressure is reduced in a specificfrequency band in order to thereby deteriorate the sound outputcharacteristic.

Such a phenomenon may be particularly dominant in the position in whichthe distance between the actuator and the sound separating partitionportion is shortest (that is, the positions between the actuator and therespective sides of sound separating partition portion in the horizontaland vertical directions, respectively, in FIG. 3A).

As indicated by a circle in FIG. 3B, it is shown that the sound pressureis unstable or is reduced in a specific frequency band (e.g., at afrequency of about 1 kHz) due to the influence of the standing wave.

On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the bent portion 412 of anexample of the present embodiment is formed, the traveling wave (B) thatproceeds in the vertical direction with respect to the actuator as shownin FIG. 3A is obliquely reflected to the left and right (a reflectionwave B′) in order to thereby reduce the generation of the standing wavecaused by the overlapping of the traveling wave (B) and the reflectionwave (B′). Therefore, the aforementioned sound pressure reduction causedby the standing wave may be improved.

In addition, because the aforementioned first-side 410 of the soundseparating partition portion 400 is formed obliquely, the reflectionwave (D′) of a traveling wave (D) that heads for the edge of thefirst-side from the actuator is more likely to overlap or interfere withanother traveling wave (E) around the corner of the sound output area tothen generate another standing wave.

In this case, the protruding confining portion 422 that is formed in thesecond-side 420 of the sound separating partition portion 400 may blockthe reflection wave (D′) to further suppress the generation of thestanding wave caused by the interference between the traveling wave (E).

FIG. 4B illustrates the sound output characteristics in the case of theexample of the present embodiment as described in FIG. 4A. In comparisonto FIG. 3B, it can be seen that the sound pressure relatively increasesin a specific frequency band (e.g., at a frequency of about 1 kHz) andthe uniformity of the sound pressure is improved in the same frequencyband.

As a result, according to an example of the present embodiment, it maybe possible to reduce the sound pressure reduction caused by thestanding wave by forming a bent portion that is directed to the actuatoron the first-side that receives a strong sound wave, and by forming aprotruding confining portion in a specific position of the second-sidethat is perpendicular to the first-side among the four sides of thesound separating partition portion.

Meanwhile, the sides that include the bent portion and the protrudingconfining portion, as well as the position and size of the bent portionand protruding confining portion, may be related to the shape of thesound output area and the disposition of the actuator, which will bedescribed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate cross-sectional views of two types of soundgenerating actuators that can be used in examples of the presentembodiment.

The sound generating actuator or the actuators 200 and 200′ used in anexample of the present embodiment may have the same configuration, andalthough the following description will be made with regard to the leftactuator for convenience, it may also be applied to the other actuator.

The left actuator 200 may be configured to include a permanent magnet220, plates 210 and 210′ for supporting the magnet, a center pole 230that protrudes from the central area of the plate, a bobbin 250 that isdisposed to surround the center pole 230, and a coil 260 that is woundaround the outer portion of the bobbin to be applied with a soundgenerating current.

Meanwhile, the sound generating actuator used in an example of thepresent embodiment may adopt a first example structure in which themagnet is arranged outside the coil, or second example structure inwhich the magnet is arranged inside the coil.

FIG. 5A shows the first structure in which the magnet is arrangedoutside the coil, which may be referred to as a dynamic type or externalmagnet type. In the sound generating actuator 200 according to the firststructure, a lower plate 210 is fixed to a support hole 310 that isformed on the cover bottom 300, and the annular permanent magnet 220 isdisposed on the outer portion of the lower plate 210.

An upper plate 210′ is placed on the magnet 220, and an external frame240 is formed on the outer portion of the upper plate 210′ to protrudefrom the upper plate 210′. Meanwhile, the center pole 230 is disposed inthe central area of the lower plate 210 to protrude from the lower plate210, and the bobbin 250 is disposed to surround the center pole 230. Thecoil 260 is wound around the lower portion of the bobbin 250, and thecoil is applied with a sound generating current. Meanwhile, a damper 270may be disposed between the upper portion of the bobbin 250 and theexternal frame 240.

The lower plate 210 and the upper plate 210′ are configured to fix thesound generating actuator 200 to the cover bottom 300 while supportingthe magnet 220, and the lower plate 210 is provided in a circle shape asshown cross-sectionally in FIG. 5A. Then, the magnet 220 in a ring shapeis provided on the lower plate 210, and the upper plate 210′ is providedon the magnet 220.

In addition, according to the coupling of the lower plate 210 and theupper plate 210′ to the cover bottom 300, the magnet 220 positionedbetween the lower plate 210 and the upper plate 210′ may be fixed andsupported.

The plates 210 and 210′ may be formed of a material having magnetism,such as iron (Fe). The plate is not limited to a specific term, and maybe referred to as other terms, such as a yoke.

Meanwhile, the center pole 230 and the lower plate 210 may be integrallyformed.

The bobbin 250 may have an annular structure that may be formed of paperor an aluminum sheet, and the coil 260 is wound around a specific lowerarea of the bobbin 250. The configuration including both the bobbin 250and the coil 260 may be expressed as a voice coil.

When a current is applied to the coil 260, a magnetic field is formedaround the coil 260. In this case, with the external magnetic field thatis formed by the magnet 220, the bobbin 250 moves up while being guidedby the center pole 230 according to Fleming's law.

Meanwhile, because the end of the bobbin 250 is in contact with the backsurface of the display panel 100, the display panel 100 is vibrateddepending on the supply or non-supply of a current so that a sound wavemay be generated by the vibration.

The magnet 220 may use a sintered magnet, such a barium ferrite, and mayuse a cast magnet formed of an alloy of ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃), bariumcarbonate (BaCO₃), strontium ferrite having an improved magneticcomponent, aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co), without beinglimited thereto.

Meanwhile, the damper 270 is disposed between the upper portion of thebobbin 250 and the external frame 240, and the damper 270 has acorrugated structure to regulate the vertical vibration of the bobbinwhile contracting or stretching according to the vertical movement ofthe bobbin. That is, because the damper 270 is connected to the bobbin250 and the external frame 240, respectively, the vertical vibration ofthe bobbin 250 is restricted by a restoring force of the damper 270. Inmore detail, when the bobbin 250 vibrates more or less than a specificvalue, the bobbin 250 may return to the original position by means ofthe restoring force of the damper 270. Such a damper 270 may beexpressed as other terms, such as an edge.

FIG. 5B shows the second structure in which the magnet is arrangedinside the coil, which may be referred to as a micro type or internalmagnet type.

In the sound generating actuator according to the second structure, alower plate 210 is fixed to a support hole 310 that is formed in thecover bottom 300. In addition, a magnet 220 is disposed in the centralportion of the lower plate 210, and a center pole 230 is formed on themagnet 220 to extend.

An upper plate 210′ is formed on the outer portion of the lower plate210 to protrude from the lower plate 210, and an external frame 240 isdisposed on the outer portion of the upper plate 210′.

A bobbin 250 is disposed to surround the magnet 220 and the center pole230, and a coil 260 is wound around the outer surface of the bobbin 250.

In addition, a damper 270 is disposed between the external frame 240 andthe bobbin 250.

In comparison to the first structure in which the magnet is arrangedoutside the coil, the sound generating actuator of the second structuremay have a small leakage magnetic flux and may be miniaturized.

The actuator according to one of either the first example structure orthe second example structure may be used in examples of the presentembodiments. The following description will refer to the first structurefor convenience.

The sound generating actuator used in the display device of an exampleof the present embodiment is not limited to the example configurationsof FIGS. 5A and 5B, and any actuator can be used as long as it cangenerate a sound by vibrating the display panel up and down according tothe supply of a current.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example state in which the soundgenerating actuator vibrates the display panel to generate a sound,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A shows a state in which a current is applied, wherein the centerpole 230 connected to the lower surface of the magnet 220 becomes the Npole, and the upper plate 210′ connected to the upper surface of themagnet 220 becomes the S pole to form an external magnetic field betweenthe coil 260.

In such a state, when a sound generating current is applied to the coil260, an applied magnetic field is formed around the coil 260 so that aforce for moving the bobbin 250 upwards is generated by the appliedmagnetic field and the external magnetic field.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6A, the bobbin 250 moves upwards (arrowdirection), and the display panel 100 in contact with the end of thebobbin 250 vibrates upwards.

In this state, when the current supply is stopped or when a current isapplied in the opposite direction, as shown in FIG. 6B, a force formoving the bobbin 250 downwards is generated in a similar manner, andthus, the display panel 100 vibrates downwards (arrow direction).

As described above, the display panel vibrates up and down depending onthe direction and intensity of the current applied to the coil, and sucha vibration generates a sound wave.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example of the coupling state between thesound generating actuator and the cover bottom that is a back supportportion of the display device, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, and FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate other exampleembodiments of a coupling structure between the sound generatingactuator and the cover bottom.

The sound generating actuator 200, according to an example of thepresent embodiment, may be inserted into and supported by a support holethat is formed in the cover bottom or the back cover that is a supportstructure of the display device. FIGS. 7A-8B illustrate various supportstructures.

In the support structure of FIGS. 7A and 7B, a support hole 310 isformed in the cover bottom 300 to pass through the same, and at leastone of the lower plate 210, the magnet 220, and the upper plate 210′ ofthe sound generating actuator 200 may be inserted into the support hole310 to thereby be received.

An extension part 212 may be further formed in the lower surface of thelower plate 210 to extend outwards from the same, and the extension part212 is fixed to the lower surface of the cover bottom 300 so that thesound generating actuator 200 may be mounted on the cover bottom 300.

As described above, if the sound generating actuator 200 is insertedinto the support hole 310 formed on the cover bottom 300 to then befixed, it may be possible to reduce the distance between the displaypanel 100 and the cover bottom 300, thereby reducing the thickness ofthe display device.

That is, the first air gap space and the second air gap space may berequired to be provided between the display panel 100 and the coverbottom 300, in order to provide a space for the vibration of the displaypanel 100. If the sound generating actuator 200 is configured to beinserted/fixed into the support hole 310 of the cover bottom 300, theheight of the sound generating actuator 200 disposed between the displaypanel 100 and the cover bottom 300 may be reduced in order to therebyreduce the air gap.

With regard to the fixing of the sound generating actuator 200 to thecover bottom 300, FIG. 7B shows a structure in which a screw hole isformed on the back side of the cover bottom 300 and a bolt 320 or screwengages with the screw hole of the cover bottom 300 by passing through athrough-hole that is formed on the extension part 212 of the lower plate210 to then fix the sound generating actuator 200.

Meanwhile, FIG. 8A shows an example in which the sound generatingactuator 200 is fixed by a bolt 320 while interposing a self-clinchingnut 330 (e.g., PEM® nut or other self-clinching nut) between the coverbottom 300 and the extension part 212 of the lower plate 210 in order tosecure a constant distance therebetween, instead of the simple screwcoupling structure.

In the case of using the self-clinching nut 330 (e.g., PEM® nut or otherself-clinching nut) as shown in FIG. 8A, because a constant space may besecured between the sound generating actuator 200 and the cover bottom300, it may be possible to reduce the transfer of vibration from theactuator 200 to the cover bottom 300.

In addition, in FIG. 8B, the sound generating actuator 200 may be fixedby disposing an adhesive member 340, such as a double-sided tape,between the extension part 212 of the lower plate 210 of the actuator200 and the cover bottom 300.

In the case of using the adhesive member 340 as shown in FIG. 8B, theadhesive member 340 may play the role of a damper through the properadjustment of the elasticity and thickness of the adhesive member 340,and thus, it may be possible to reduce the transfer of vibration fromthe actuator 200 to the cover bottom 300.

As shown in FIGS. 7A-8B, the example structure, in which the soundgenerating actuator 200 that directly vibrates the display panel 100while being in contact with the same is inserted and fixed into thesupport hole 310 formed on the cover bottom 300, may give an effect ofreducing the thickness of the display device, in comparison to the casein which the actuator 200 is completely received inside the displaypanel 100.

FIG. 9 illustrates a detailed structure of the sound separatingpartition portion that is used in an example of the present embodiment.As shown in FIG. 9, the sound separating partition portion is used toform an air gap space in each sound output area in an example of thepresent embodiment.

That is, in order for the display panel to vibrate to generate a soundwave, one side of the display panel may be required to be bonded to thesupport structure of the display panel. For example, the generated soundmay be prevented from leaking to the outside through the lateral side orthe like of the display device. To this end, the display device,according to an example of the present embodiment, has a constant soundseparating partition portion 400 that is formed between the lowersurface of the display panel and the support structure.

In more detail, a sound output area is defined for each sound generatingactuator to enclose a predetermined area (that is, the air gap space)around the sound generating actuator, and the sound separating partitionportion is disposed between the lower surface of the display panel andthe upper surface of the cover bottom at the edge of the sound outputarea.

In this case, the sound separating partition portion 400 may beconfigured to include an adhesive member 430, such as a double-sidedtape, that is interposed between the lower surface of the display paneland the upper surface of the support structure of the display device,and a sealing portion 440 that is further disposed in the outside of theadhesive member.

The adhesive member 430 may be configured to include a first adhesivepart 432 that is bonded to the upper surface of the cover bottom 300, asecond adhesive part 436 that is bonded to the lower surface of thedisplay panel, and a body part 434 between the first and second adhesiveparts 432 and 436. The body part 434 may have a constant elasticity tobe compressed when attaching the display panel 100.

Also, the sealing portion 440 constituting the sound separatingpartition portion 400 may be further disposed in the outside of theadhesive member 430, and may have a greater thickness or height than thethickness or height of the adhesive member 430.

The sealing portion 440 may be configured of a material having a largeelasticity, such as rubber, and may have a greater thickness t2 than thethickness t1 of the adhesive member 430 as shown in FIG. 9.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the first adhesive part 432 of the adhesivemember 430, which is a double-sided tape having a thickness t1, isbonded to the upper surface of the cover bottom 300, and the sealingportion 440, which is formed of an elastic material having a greaterthickness than t1, is disposed in the outside of the adhesive member430.

In such a state, when the display panel 100 is attached to the secondadhesive part 436 of the adhesive member 430, the display panel 100 andthe cover bottom 3000 may be attached to each other while the sealingportion 440, having a greater thickness, is compressed to some extent.

As described above, the sealing of the air gap space 700 or 700′ in thesound output area around each actuator may be further improved becausethe sound separating partition portion 400 has a double structure of theadhesive member 430 and the sealing portion 440.

Although the thickness of the air gap space (that is, the distancebetween the display panel 100 and the cover bottom 300 in the air gapspace) may be adjust to be about 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm, it is not limitedthereto, and it may vary depending on the degree of vibration of thedisplay panel.

FIGS. 10-11C illustrate views that variously show the form of each soundoutput area and the disposition of bent portions and additionalconfining portions according to the position and form of the soundgenerating actuator in the 2-channel system in which the sound outputareas include the left and right areas.

The respective sides constituting the sound separating partition portionare shown in solid lines for convenience in FIG. 10.

As described above, the standing wave that causes the sound pressurereduction may be dominant in the position where the traveling wave andthe reflection wave have a large intensity.

Therefore, the bent portion, according to an example of the presentembodiment, may be disposed in the position where the sound wavereceived from the sound generating actuator has the maximum intensity.FIGS. 10 and 11 show various configurations in which the bent portionsand protruding confining portions are disposed in the 2-channel system.

First, FIG. 10 shows the left area and the right area in a square shapehaving the same horizontal (H) and vertical (V) length, wherein theactuators 200 and 200′ are disposed in the center of each area.

In this case, as shown in the left area (L), among four sides of thesound separating partition portion that defines the left area, bentportions 412 may be formed in the two (upper and lower) first-sides 410,and two protruding confining portions 422 may be formed in each of thetwo (left and right) second-sides 420 that are perpendicular to thefirst-sides 410.

Also, in consideration of the perfect symmetry in the example case ofFIG. 10, the first-side 410 of the bent portions 412 may be the left andright sides, and the protruding confining portions 422 may be formed inthe second-sides 420 as the upper and lower sides as shown in the rightarea (R). Also, the protruding confining portion 422 may not be formedin the second-sides 420.

In this example, the bent portion may be formed in all of the foursides. However, in such a case, the area of the sound output areadecreases, and as a result, the area of the vibrating plate alsodecreases. Therefore, the overall sound pressure may be reduced or thesound frequency may increase.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10, the bent portion 412 may be formed intwo first-sides among the four sides and to dispose the protrudingconfining portion 422 in the two remaining sides, and thus, the problemscaused by the standing wave may be solved while lessening a reduction inthe area of the vibrating plate.

Meanwhile, according to the structure as shown in FIG. 10, because theactuator is positioned in the center of the corresponding sound outputarea in the horizontal direction (or left and right directions) and/orin the vertical direction (or upper and lower directions), the portionof the display panel of the corresponding area can be uniformlyvibrated. Accordingly, it may be possible to secure a stable soundoutput and the durability and reliability of the display panel.

FIG. 11A shows the case of the asymmetric disposition or asymmetricoutput characteristics of the actuator. In this example, the selectionof the first-side and the position of the bent portion that is formed onthe same may be determined according to the disposition of the actuatoror the output characteristics of the actuator.

First, the example in which the horizontal side of the sound output areais different from the vertical side thereof in its length, as shown inFIG. 11A, will be described. In some embodiments, the standing wave thatcauses the sound pressure reduction may be dominant in the positionwhere the traveling wave and the reflection wave have a large intensity,and the generation of the standing wave may, in some examples, increasein the central portion of a long side among the horizontal and verticalsides.

That is, in the case where the vertical (V) side of the left area islonger than the horizontal (H) side as shown in FIG. 11A, and in someembodiments, the intensity of the sound wave (F) that reaches the leftand right vertical sides may be greater than the sound wave (G) thatreaches the upper and lower horizontal sides.

Accordingly, among the left and right sides of the sound output area,the long left and right sides may be defined as the first-sides 410, andthe bent portions 412 are formed in the first-sides 410. One or moreprotruding confining portions 422 may be selectively disposed in theshort sides among the left and right sides.

However, embodiments are not limited thereto, and in an another examplewhich may be applied to embodiments described herein, bent portions 412may be formed in the short sides among the left and right sides, and oneor more protruding confining portions 422 may be selectively disposed inthe long sides among the left and right sides.

FIG. 11B shows an example where the sound generating actuator isdisposed in an asymmetric position in the sound output area. In thisexample, the first-side 410 that has a bent portion 412 formed thereinmay be a single side that is closest to the sound generating actuator.

In other words, in the case where the actuator is disposed in theposition (P′) that is eccentricated to the left based on the horizontalcenter point (P) of the sound output area as shown in FIG. 11B, the leftvertical side that is closest to the actuator is selected as thefirst-side 410 among four sides of the sound separating partitionportion, and a bent portion 412 is disposed in the center thereof.

In this case, one or more protruding confining portions 422 and 422′ maybe disposed in the upper and lower second-sides 420 and 420′.

In this case, the bent portion 412 may not be formed in the rightvertical side 410′ facing the first-side 410, because the generation ofthe standing wave therein may be negligible, and the protrudingconfining portions 422 and 422′ may not be formed in the right portionof the upper and lower horizontal sides.

Meanwhile, when the sound waves generated by the sound generatingactuator have an asymmetric characteristic, one side or two sides forwhich the strong one of the sound waves heads may be the first-sides.

Such an example is shown in FIG. 11C, in which two or more actuators maybe disposed to be adjacent to each other in the sound output area inorder to generate a sound pressure more than a predetermined value, oran actuator that has a bobbin of non-circular shape (such as an ovalbobbin) may be disposed.

For example, the left diagram of FIG. 11C shows two actuators 200-1 and200-2 that are disposed to be horizontally adjacent to each other in thesound output area, and in this case, the sound waves (F) that proceed upand down have a greater amplitude than the sound waves (G) that proceedleft and right.

Therefore, in this case, the upper and lower horizontal sides for whichthe strong sound waves (F) head may be defined as the first-sides 410,and the bent portions 412 may be formed therein.

In this case, two bent portions 412 that are formed in the upper andlower first-sides may be disposed such that the line connecting the twobent portions 412 passes through the center position of the twoactuators 200-1 and 200-2. That is, end points of the bent portions 412are directed to the center point between the two actuators 200-1 and200-2.

With the example configuration described above, traveling waves headingfor the first-sides among the traveling waves generated by two actuatorsare reflected to be dispersed left and right in order to thereby reducethe generation of the standing wave.

Meanwhile, the right diagram of FIG. 11C shows a non-circular actuator,such as an oval actuator, instead of a circular actuator. Although thebobbin of the actuator 200 may generally have a circular shape asdescribed in FIGS. 5A-5B and the like, an oval bobbin may be used toincrease the output of the actuator.

In the case of an oval actuator as described above, because a sound wavethat proceeds in the short-axis direction of the ellipse of the actuatormay be strong, two sides parallel to the long-axis of the ellipse may bedefined as the first-sides 410, and the bent portions 412 may be formedin the first-sides 410 as shown in FIG. 11C. In this case, the endpoints of the bent portions 412 are directed to the center of thenon-circular actuator 200.

FIG. 12 illustrates a relationship between an inclination angle of thefirst-side of the sound separating partition portion including a bentportion, and the position and length of an additional confining member,according to an example of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the first-side 410 of the sound separatingpartition portion, in which the bent portion 412 is formed, is comprisedof two straight lines that extend inwardly to have a constantinclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal direction or thevertical direction of the display panel, and the bent portion 412 isformed at the point where the two straight lines meet. The first-side410 or the bent portion 412 is not limited to a linear shape, and may becurved shape or rounded shape.

In this example, as the inclination angle θ of the bent portion 412increases, the dispersion characteristic of the reflection waveincreases to further suppress the generation of the standing wave.However, as the inclination angle θ increases, the sound output area(that is, the size of the vibrating plate) is reduced so that the soundpressure may decrease and the frequency of the sound wave may vary.

Therefore, the inclination angle θ of the bent portion 412 may beconfigured to be variable in the range of about 10 to 30 degrees,depending on the required amount of suppression of the standing wave.

For example, when the sound output area is intended for a low-pitchedsound or when the actuator has a large output, the inclination angle θof the bent portion 412 may be large, whereas when the sound output areais intended for a middle/high-pitched sound or when the actuator has asmall output, the inclination angle θ of the bent portion 412 may besmall.

Also, the protruding confining portion 422 formed in the second-side 420has the first length d1, and is disposed to be spaced apart by thesecond distance d2 from the end of the second-side 420.

In this case, although the standing wave suppression effect increaseswith an increase in the first length d1 of the protruding confiningportion 422, the vibration characteristic of the vibrating plate may bedegraded. Thus, the first length d1 of the protruding confining portion422 may be adjusted according to the degree of generation of thestanding wave or a required area of the vibrating plate.

For example, in the case of a high degree of generation of the standingwave, the first length d1 of the protruding confining portion 422 may beconfigured to be long, and in the case of a low degree of generation ofthe standing wave or in the case where a large area of the vibratingplate is required, the first length d1 of the protruding confiningportion 422 may be configured to be short.

Also, two protruding confining portions 422 may be formed in thesecond-side 422, and may be symmetrically disposed based on the positionof the actuator.

That is, as shown in the example of FIG. 12, in the case where oneprotruding confining portion 422 is disposed to be spaced apart by thesecond distance d2 from one end of the second-side, the other protrudingconfining portion may be disposed to be space apart by the same seconddistance d2 from the other end of the second-side.

Also, the first length d1 of the protruding confining portion 422 andthe spaced distance (second distance) d2 of the protruding confiningportion 422 from the edge may be configured to be proportional to theinclination angle θ of the bent portion 412 formed on the first-side.

That is, in the case of a large inclination angle θ of the bent portion412 formed on the first-side 410, the intensity of the reflection wavethat is reflected by the bent portion 412 and heads for the second-side420 increases. Accordingly, the first length d1 of the protrudingconfining portion 422 or the spaced distance (second distance) d2 of theprotruding confining portion 422 from one end of the second-side 420 maybe increased to suppress the generation of the standing wave around thesecond-side 420.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate plan views of a display device, according toanother example embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein a2.1-channel system is shown. FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate views thatvariously show the form of each sound output area and the disposition ofbent portions and additional confining portions according to theposition and form of the sound generating actuator in the 2.1-channelsystem, in which the sound output areas include the left and right areasfor outputting a high/middle-pitched sound, and the central area foroutputting a low-pitched sound.

In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the sound output areasinclude the left area (L) and the right area (R) that are disposed inthe left and right side of the display panel, respectively, in order togenerate a high/middle-pitched sound, and the central area (C) that isdisposed in the center of the display panel in order to generate alow-pitched sound.

As shown in FIG. 13, the central actuator 1200 directly vibrates thedisplay panel of the central area (C) to generate a low-pitched sound,and the left and right actuators 1200′ and 1200″ directly vibrate thedisplay panel portions of the left area (L) and the right area (R) togenerate a middle/high-pitched sound.

That is, an example of the present embodiment may provide the so-called2.1-channel type of sound output feature in which a low-pitched sound isoutput from the central woofer, and a left and right stereo sound isoutput from the left and right areas.

In this specification, a low-pitched sound may be defined in the rangeof less than 300 Hz, a middle-pitched sound may be defined in the rangeof 300 to 1.5 kHz, and a high-pitched sound may be defined in the rangeof more than 1.5 kHz, but definitions are not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, examples of the present embodiment may adopt one of eitherthe first example configuration, in which the output of the centralactuator 1200 is greater than the outputs of the left and rightactuators 1200′ and 1200″, or the second example configuration, in whichthe central area (C) is larger than the left area (L) or the right area(R).

With the configuration described above, the low-pitched sound may bestronger than the middle/high-pitched sound in order to thereby improvethe low-pitched sound characteristics.

For example, when the central area (C) is larger than the left/rightarea, the area of the vibrating plate for a low-pitched sound increaseseven with the same output of the actuators, so that a stable output forthe low-pitched sound can be secured.

Meanwhile, bent portions 1412 that are bent toward the central actuator1200 disposed in the central area (C) may be disposed in one or morefirst-sides 1410 among four sides of the sound separating partitionportion 1400 that defines the central area (C).

Also, one or more protruding confining portions 1422 that protrudetoward the central actuator 1200 may be disposed in one or moresecond-sides that are perpendicular to the first-sides 1410.

Also, a bent portion that is bent toward the left actuator 1200′ or theright actuator 1200″ that is positioned in the left area or right areamay be disposed in at least one of three sides, except for the side 1410that is shared by the sound separating partition portion of the centralarea (C), among four sides of the sound separating partition portionthat defines the left area (L) or the right area (R).

In other words, as shown in the left area of FIG. 13, the left verticalside of the left area is shared by the central area (C) and plays therole of separating the central area (C) from the left area (L), and bentportions 1432 may be formed on the upper and lower sides 1430 of theleft area that are perpendicular to the left vertical side such that thebent portions 1432 are directed to the center direction of the leftactuator 1200′.

Also, one or more protruding confining portions 1442 may be formed onthe right vertical side 1440 of the left area.

As will be described below, because a middle/high-pitched sound of theleft or right area is barely influenced by the standing wave because itssound pressure is low, in comparison to a low-pitched sound of thecentral area, the bent portion and the protruding confining portion maynot be formed in the left and right areas as shown in the right area ofFIG. 13.

For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 13, the standing wavegenerated in the central area is the greatest because the output of thecentral actuator 1200 for a low-pitched sound is larger.

That is, although the sound deterioration caused by the standing wavealso occurs in the left area or right area, because the low-pitchedsound wave of the central area has a long wavelength and a greatamplitude, it is more significantly influenced by the standing wave.

Thus, by adopting the example configuration shown in FIG. 13, it may bepossible to output a low-pitched sound and a stereo sound at the sametime while minimizing the influence of a standing wave in the low soundband.

FIG. 14 shows another example embodiment of the 2.1-channel system inwhich the central actuator 1200 of the central area (C) is comprised oftwo central sub-actuators 1200-1 and 1200-2 that are horizontallydisposed to be adjacent, and the left actuator of the left area iscomprised of two left sub-actuators 1200′-1 and 1200′-2 that arevertically disposed to be spaced apart.

In this example, the upper and lower sides of the central area (C) aredefined as the first-sides 1410, and bent portions 1412 are formed onthe first-sides 1410 such that end points of the bent portions 1412 aredirected to the center point between the two central sub-actuators1200-1 and 1200-2.

Also, the protruding confining portions 1422 may be formed on the leftand right second-sides 1420 of the central area so as to protrude towardthe central actuator 1200.

Meanwhile, the upper and lower sides of the left area may be defined asthe first-sides 1410′, and the bent portions 1412′ may be disposed inthe first-sides 1410′.

In the structure shown in FIG. 14, because the left sub-actuators1200′-1 and 1200′-2 are disposed to be adjacent to the upper and lowersides of the left area, the generation of the standing wave may increasein the upper and lower sides. Therefore, as shown in the left area ofFIG. 14, the bent portions 1412′ are formed on the upper and lower sidesof the left area in order to thereby suppress the generation of thestanding wave in the left area to a minimum.

In the case where a single right actuator 1200″ is disposed as shown inthe right area of FIG. 14, the left vertical side of the right area maybe defined as the first-side 1410″, and a bent portion 1412″ that isbent to the right actuator may be formed only on the first-side 1410″.

As described above, the example embodiments of the present disclosuremay give an effect of providing the panel vibration type of soundgenerating display device that generates a sound by directly vibratingthe display panel, and include the sound separating partition portionfor defining a plurality of sound output areas that output differentsounds, respectively, in order to thereby secure an excellent soundseparation characteristic.

Also, it may be possible to suppress the sound pressure reduction causedby the standing wave that is generated by the interference between areflection wave and a traveling wave by forming a bent portion that isbent toward the sound generating actuator in at least one of the sidesof the sound separating partition portion that defines a plurality ofsound output areas.

In addition to the bent portion, one or more protruding confiningportions may be formed in at least one (the second-side) of the sides ofthe sound separating partition portion in order to thereby furthersuppress the sound pressure reduction caused by the standing wave thatis generated by the interference between a reflection wave and atraveling wave.

Furthermore, as a plurality of sound output areas, one of either the2-channel system that includes left and right areas for outputting aleft and right stereo sound, or the 2.1-channel system that furtherincludes a central area for outputting a low-pitched sound in additionto the same may be selected, a bent portion that is bent toward thesound generating actuator may be formed in at least one of four sidesthat constitute the sound separating partition portion of each area, anda protruding confining portion may be formed in at least one of theremaining sides, thereby minimizing the sound pressure reduction causedby the standing wave while providing an excellent sound separationcharacteristic.

As a result, it may be possible to improve a sound device of the displaydevice by suppressing the sound pressure reduction caused by thestanding wave while securing an excellent sound separationcharacteristic in the display device for outputting a 2-channel or2.1-channel sound by means of the panel vibration.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a panel vibration type of sound generating display device includes adisplay panel for displaying images, a plurality of sound generatingactuators configured to be disposed in a plurality of sound output areasfor outputting different sounds, respectively, within the displaydevice, and configured to vibrate the display panel and generate asound, a back support portion for supporting the back portion of thedisplay panel, and a sound separating partition portion that surroundseach of the plurality of sound output areas, and configured to bedisposed in contact with the display panel and the back support portionto define a space in each of the sound output areas.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thesound separating partition portion may be comprised of four sides thatsurround each of the sound output areas, and one or more first-sidesamong the four sides of the sound separating partition portion mayinclude a bent portion that is bent toward the sound generating actuatorthat is disposed in the corresponding area.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an endpoint of the bent portion may be directed to the center of the soundgenerating actuator.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, asecond-side that is disposed to be perpendicular to the first-side mayfurther include a protruding confining portion that protrudes toward thesound generating actuator that is disposed in the corresponding area.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, soundwaves generated by the sound generating actuator may have an asymmetricradiation characteristic, and the first-side may be comprised of oneside or two sides for which a strong sound wave among the sound wavesheads.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thesound generating actuator may be disposed in an asymmetric position inthe corresponding sound output area, and the first-side may be the sidethat is closest to the sound generating actuator.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thedisplay device may further include two protruding confining that aredisposed on the second-side to be spaced apart from each other.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thesound output areas may include a left area and a right area that areformed in the left side and the right side of the display panel.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thesound output areas may include a left and a right area that are disposedin the left and right sides of the display panel, respectively, in orderto output a middle/high-pitched sound, and a central area that isdisposed in the center of the display panel in order to output alow-pitched sound.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thecentral area may be greater than the left area or the right area.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a bentportion that is bent toward the central actuator that is positioned inthe central area may be disposed in one or more first-sides among foursides of the sound separating partition that defines the central area,and a protruding confining portion that protrudes toward the centralactuator may be disposed in one or more of the second-sides that areperpendicular to the first-sides.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a bentportion that is bent toward the left actuator or the right actuator thatis positioned in the left area or the right area may be disposed in atleast one of three sides, except for the side that is shared by thesound separating partition portion of the central area, among four sidesof the sound separating partition portion that defines the left area orthe right area.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, thesound separating partition may include an adhesive member that is bondedto the upper surface of the back support portion and to the lowersurface of the display panel, and a sealing portion that is disposed inthe outside of the adhesive member. The above description and theaccompanying drawings provide an example of the technical idea of thepresent disclosure for illustrative purposes only. Those having ordinaryknowledge in the technical field, to which the present disclosurepertains, will appreciate that various modifications and changes inform, such as combination, separation, substitution, and change of aconfiguration, are possible without departing from the essentialfeatures of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments disclosedin the present disclosure are intended to illustrate the scope of thetechnical idea of the present disclosure, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited by the embodiment. The scope of the presentdisclosure shall be construed on the basis of the accompanying claims insuch a manner that all of the technical ideas included within the scopeequivalent to the claims belong to the present disclosure.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a display device includes a display panel configured to display images,a plurality of sound generating actuators in a plurality of sound outputareas, the sound generating actuators configured to vibrate the displaypanel to generate sound, and a partition that is between each of theplurality of sound output areas and surrounds at least one of theplurality of sound output areas.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the plurality of sound generating actuators respectively may outputdifferent sounds within the display device.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the display device may further include a back support portion configuredto support the display panel.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the sound separating partition may be in contact with the display paneland the back support portion to define a space in each of the soundoutput areas.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may separate sound between each of the plurality of soundoutput areas.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may surround each of the plurality of sound output areas.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may be comprised of four sides that surround each of thesound output areas, and one or more first-sides among the four sides ofthe partition may include a bent portion that is bent toward the soundgenerating actuator in the corresponding sound output area.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a vertex of the bent portion may be directed to a center of the soundgenerating actuator.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a second-side that is perpendicular to the first-side may furtherinclude a protruding confining portion that protrudes toward the soundgenerating actuator in the corresponding sound output area.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,sound waves generated by the sound generating actuator may have anasymmetric radiation characteristic, and the first-side may be comprisedof one side or two sides for which a stronger than average sound waveamong the sound waves is directed by the sound generating actuator.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the sound generating actuator may be in an asymmetric position in thecorresponding sound output area, and the second-side may be the one ofthe four sides that is closest to the sound generating actuator.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the display device may further include two protruding confining portionson the second-side and spaced apart from each other.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the sound output areas may include a first area and a second area tooutput a stereo sound.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the sound output areas may include a first area and a second area tooutput at least one of a middle and high-pitched sound, and the soundoutput areas may include a third area between the first area and thesecond area to output a low-pitched sound.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the third area may be greater in size than the first area or the secondarea.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a bent portion that is bent toward an actuator in the third area may bein one or more first-sides among four sides of the partition thatdefines the third area, and a protruding confining portion thatprotrudes toward the actuator may be in one or more second-sides thatare perpendicular to the first-sides.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a bent portion that is bent toward an actuator in the first area or thesecond area may be in at least one of three sides other than a side thatis shared by the sound separating partition of the third area, amongfour sides of the partition that defines the first area or the secondarea.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may comprise one or both of an adhesive member bonded tothe upper surface of the back support portion and to the lower surfaceof the display panel, and a sealing portion between the upper surface ofthe back support portion and the lower surface of the display panel.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the sound generating actuator may comprise a lower plate, a magnet onthe lower plate, a center pole at the center of the lower plate, abobbin surrounding the center pole, and a coil wound around the bobbin.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,a display device includes a display panel configured to display images,a plurality of areas behind the display panel and separated by apartition, and a plurality of sound generating actuators in theplurality of areas, the sound generating actuators configured to vibratethe display panel to generate sound, at least one of the areas includestwo or more of the sound generating actuators.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,an apparatus includes a display panel configured to display images, aplurality of areas behind the display panel and separated by apartition, and a first sound generating actuator in a first of theplurality of areas, the first sound generation actuator configured tovibrate the display panel to generate sound, a second of the pluralityof areas does not include a sound generating actuator.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the apparatus may further include a second sound generating actuator ina third of the plurality of areas, the second sound generating actuatorconfigured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the second area may be between the first area and the third area.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,at least one of the first area and the third area may include two ormore sound generating actuators configured to vibrate the display panelto generate sound.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may include a first-side having a bent portion that isbent toward a center point between the two or more sound generatingactuators.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the apparatus may further include a back support portion behind thedisplay panel, the partition between the display panel and the backsupport portion to define the plurality of areas.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may include at least one of a first-side having a bentportion that is bent toward a sound generating actuator, and asecond-side having a protruding confining portion that protrudes towardthe sound generating actuator.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may include both of the first-side and the second-side,the first-side being perpendicular to the second-side.

According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure,the partition may include the second-side, the second-side may includetwo protruding confining portions spaced apart from each other.

Configurations in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosuremay provide a number of attributes. For example, a display device maygenerate a sound by directly vibrating a display panel that constitutesthe display device, and includes a sound separating partition portionconfigured to define a plurality of sound output areas that outputdifferent sounds, respectively.

Further, a panel vibration type of sound generating display device mayinclude a bent portion that is bent toward the sound generating actuatoris formed on at least one of the sides of the sound separating partitionportion that defines a plurality of sound output areas in order tothereby suppress the sound pressure reduction caused by a standing wavethat is generated by the interference between a reflection wave and atraveling wave.

Additionally, a panel vibration type of sound generating display devicemay include one or more protruding confining portions formed in at leastone of the sides of the sound separating partition portion in order tothereby suppress the sound pressure reduction caused by a standing wavethat is generated by the interference between a reflection wave and atraveling wave.

Furthermore, a panel vibration type of sound generating display devicemay select, as a plurality of sound output areas, one of either a2-channel system that includes left and right areas for outputting aleft and right stereo sound or a 2.1-channel system that furtherincludes a central area for outputting a low-pitched sound in additionto the same, wherein a bent portion that is bent toward the soundgenerating actuator is formed in at least one of four sides thatconstitute each area and a protruding confining portion is disposed inat least one of the remaining sides in order to thereby reduce the soundpressure reduction caused by a standing wave while providing anexcellent sound separation characteristic.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations may be made in the present disclosurewithout departing from the technical idea or scope of the disclosure.Thus, it is intended that embodiments of the present disclosure coverthe modifications and variations of the disclosure provided they comewithin the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device, comprising: a display panelconfigured to display images by emitting light; a plurality of soundgenerating actuators in a plurality of sound output areas, the soundgenerating actuators configured to vibrate the display panel to generatesound; and a partition that is between each of the plurality of soundoutput areas and surrounds at least one sound output area of theplurality of sound output areas, wherein the partition is comprised offour sides that surround each of the sound output areas, wherein atleast one side of the four sides includes a protruding confining portionto avoid reduction in sound pressure caused by a standing wave, andwherein the protruding confining portion protrudes toward the soundgenerating actuator in the corresponding sound output area.
 2. Thedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of soundgenerating actuators respectively output different sounds within thedisplay device.
 3. The display device according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a back support portion configured to support the displaypanel.
 4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the partitioncomprises: one or both of an adhesive member bonded to an upper surfaceof the back support portion and to a lower surface of the display panel,and a sealing portion between the upper surface of the back supportportion and the lower surface of the display panel.
 5. The displaydevice according to claim 3, wherein the partition is in contact withthe display panel and the back support portion to define a space in eachof the sound output areas.
 6. The display device according to claim 1,wherein the partition separates sound between each of the plurality ofsound output areas.
 7. The display device according to claim 1, whereinthe partition surrounds each of the plurality of sound output areas. 8.The display device according to claim 1, one or more first-sides amongthe four sides of the partition includes a bent portion that is benttoward the sound generating actuator in the corresponding sound outputarea.
 9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein a vertex ofthe bent portion is directed to a center of the sound generatingactuator.
 10. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the atleast one side is a second-side that is perpendicular to the one or morefirst-sides, and the standing wave is generated by interference betweena traveling wave and a reflection wave that is reflected by thepartition among sound waves that are generated by the sound generatingactuator in the corresponding sound output area.
 11. The display deviceaccording to claim 10, wherein the sound waves generated by the soundgenerating actuator have an asymmetric radiation characteristic, and theone or more first-sides are comprised of one side or two sides of thefour sides for which a stronger than an average sound wave among thesound waves is directed by the sound generating actuator.
 12. Thedisplay device according to claim 10, wherein the sound generatingactuator is in an asymmetric position in the corresponding sound outputarea, and the second-side is one of the four sides that is closest tothe sound generating actuator.
 13. The display device according to claim12, further comprising two protruding confining portions on thesecond-side and spaced apart from each other.
 14. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the sound output areas include a firstarea and a second area to output a stereo sound.
 15. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the sound output areas include a firstarea and a second area to output at least one of a middle andhigh-pitched sounds; and wherein the sound output areas include a thirdarea between the first area and the second area to output a low-pitchedsound.
 16. The display device according to claim 15, wherein the thirdarea is greater in size than the first area or the second area.
 17. Thedisplay device according to claim 16, wherein a bent portion that isbent toward an actuator in the third area is in one or more first-sidesamong four sides of the partition that defines the third area, and theprotruding confining portion that protrudes toward the actuator is inone or more second-sides that are perpendicular to the one or morefirst-sides.
 18. The display device according to claim 17, wherein abent portion that is bent toward an actuator in the first area or thesecond area is in at least one of three sides other than a side that isshared by the partition of the third area, among the four sides of thepartition that defines the first area or the second area.
 19. Thedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the sound generatingactuator comprises: a lower plate; a magnet on the lower plate; a centerpole at a center of the lower plate; a bobbin surrounding the centerpole; and a coil wound around the bobbin.
 20. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the display panel is one of an organiclight emitting diode display panel, a plasma display panel, and a liquidcrystal display panel.
 21. A display device, comprising: a display panelconfigured to display images by emitting light; a plurality of areasbehind the display panel and separated by a partition; and a pluralityof sound generating actuators in the plurality of areas, the soundgenerating actuators configured to vibrate the display panel to generatesound, wherein at least one area of the areas includes two or more soundgenerating actuators of the sound generating actuators, wherein thepartition is comprised of four sides that surround each of the areas,wherein at least one side of the four sides includes a protrudingconfining portion to avoid reduction in sound pressure caused by astanding wave, and wherein the protruding confining portion protrudestoward the sound generating actuator in the corresponding area.
 22. Anapparatus, comprising: a display panel configured to display images byemitting light; a plurality of areas behind the display panel andseparated by a partition; and a first sound generating actuator in afirst area of the plurality of areas, the first sound generatingactuator configured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound,wherein a second area of the plurality of areas does not include a soundgenerating actuator, wherein the partition is comprised of four sidesthat surround the first area of the plurality of areas, wherein at leastone of the four sides includes a protruding confining portion to avoidreduction in sound pressure caused by a standing wave, and wherein theprotruding confining portion protrudes toward the sound generatingactuator in the corresponding area.
 23. The apparatus according to claim22, further comprising: a second sound generating actuator in a thirdarea of the plurality of areas, the second sound generating actuatorconfigured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound.
 24. Theapparatus according to claim 23, wherein the second area is between thefirst area and the third area.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 24,wherein at least one of the first area and the third area includes twoor more sound generating actuators configured to vibrate the displaypanel to generate sound.
 26. The apparatus according to claim 25,wherein: the partition includes a first-side having a bent portion thatis bent toward a center point between the two or more sound generatingactuators.
 27. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:a back support portion behind the display panel, the partition betweenthe display panel and the back support portion to define the pluralityof areas.
 28. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the partitionincludes a first-side having a bent portion that is bent toward a soundgenerating actuator, and a second-side having the protruding confiningportion that protrudes toward the sound generating actuator, wherein theat least one side is the second-side.
 29. The apparatus according toclaim 28, wherein the first-side is perpendicular to the second-side.30. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein: the second-sideincludes two protruding confining portions spaced apart from each other.